This is the project of one man with only one guest on bass. The music is rooted in the symphonic prog of the 1970s. The melodies are developed around lush keyboards and emotional vocal harmonies. Some acoustic passages bring Genesis and Hackett's style of playing. The flute passage adds to the retro prog feel that we have throughout the album. The guitars are never as heavy as some Neo-Prog bands, and the prominent use of acoustic guitar and flute provided an almost pastoral atmosphere. I am impressed by the quality of the songs from start to finish. For now, this album seems to be a step ahead of other albums from this project, because the songs have the edge that was missing. This could be in my top 10 albums this year!

MAJEURE is the solo project of Anthony Pattera, who is in fact a drummer and an electronics musician. If that name is familiar you might be a fan of ZOMBI, as Pattera and Steve Moore are the duo who make up that band. "Timespan" is his debut from 2009, the same year ZOMBI released "Spirit Animal". His choice of the name MAJEURE has to come from TANGERINE DREAM's "Force Majeure" record. An album where electronics and drums figured prominently, like here.

There are three long tracks over 43 minutes. The music is quite catchy and melodic, not that far from the parent band. There's a host of electronic sounds here, plus the real drums are a bonus in my opinion. This is catchy and fun, but also really well done with that adventerous spirit. "The Dresden Codex" is the 14 1/2 minute opener. We get sequencers right out of the gate followed by synths and drums. This is great! Check out the bass synths before 3 minutes. I much prefer the first half of this track. It's a little mellow on the second half.

"Teleforce" is my favourite and the shortest at 9 1/2 minutes. Again sequencers hit us first followed by drums and this is rocking pretty good. Woo hoo! Synths sweep in after 3 1/2 minutes. So good. There's even more going on over those final 3 minutes.

"Timespan" the title track clocks in at 18 1/2 minutes. Love the start with the windy atmosphere as sounds pulse. The atmosphere turns more dense, then synths drop like rain as the atmosphere subsides and another wave of sounds arrives and takes over. No rain. Sequencers after 4 1/2 minutes along with drums before the synths come in like a cold front after 6 minutes. The tempo picks up before 11 minutes before it all settles around 15 1/2 minutes but sequencers, drums and spacey synths continue.

I have "Solar Maximum" from 2012 lined up next, his sophomore record. "Timespan" is entertaining yet adventerous. It's a cd I looked forward to popping in the stereo every time. A solid 4 stars for this one.

A Good Drama

I don't think I need to write an introduction for this album on Prog Archives, since it already has 190 reviews and comes from a classic progressive rock band. But a little history never hurts. After a long, two-year tour, Yes closed out a successful decade during which they released several landmark albums. However, the recording of Tormato was a complete disaster, and the resulting album left not only the band but also many fans?and especially the label?deeply dissatisfied.

That's why the band, with its classic lineup and taking advantage of Rick Wakeman's return, planned a tour covering their entire 1970s discography. Each show lasted between two hours and 45 minutes to well over three hours. Despite the length, the tour was a success, and Yes re-established itself. Perhaps it marked the end of an era for the band?or even the band itself. The dilemma, along with the failure of Tormato, put Yes in a difficult position. In fact, none of the classic members responded when Chris Squire and Alan White reached out to discuss the band's future.

At that point, Squire, Howe and White began rehearsing on their own. despite everyone's hopes, it didn't work out. Each time Squire headed to rehearsals, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles played on the radio. He thought it was terrible?but there was something about the song that stuck with him. Howe left, and Squire and White were jamming alone.

One day, Squire began playing the hit song of the moment. White followed, laughing. In the middle of the jam, they stopped to talk. White said he liked the middle section and thought it had something. Squire felt it too and that's when he realized it might be a good idea to talk to Atco Records.

Squire, accompanied by Brian Lane his dude close friend, manager, and owner of the studio where Yes used to rehearse arranged a meeting with The Buggles. It turned out that Trevor Horn already knew Squire quite well, and they agreed to start working together, bringing in Horn's counterpart, keyboardist Geoff Downes. However, Horn made one thing clear: if it was going to be a Yes album, it had to include Steve Howe, whom Horn saw as the key member responsible for the classic Yes sound. Squire contacted Howe, who was finishing a short tour for his latest solo album. Howe agreed, but with one condition: that the album be produced by Eddie Offord the classic producer who hadn't worked with Yes since Relayer in 1974.

What Horn didn't know at that point was that Jon Anderson, the other fundamental piece of Yes, would not be part of the lineup.

And so, Squire convinced him that he would be the vocalist on the project, and Horn finally accepted. The band began working in New York, but they were broke, so Lane approached Atco Records to request a $200,000 advance. Initially denied, after some tough negotiation he managed to secure a better deal?$400,000. It was the first Yes album that started with a cash advance.

The album consisted of several Squire,Howe and White songs, along with others they had been rehearsing on studio, for a few weeks. Horn suggested including a Buggles song, "Into the Lens," as a potential promotional single. Although the Yes version was less commercial, it had the potential to bridge the prog world with the pop world.

Unfortunately, Offord's return as producer proved to be a disaster. He was going through a difficult emotional period, and his erratic behavior led the band to keep him on only as co-producer. His most valuable contribution came specifically on "Into the Lens." The production was eventually taken over by Hugh Padgham, then a young and relatively unknown figure who would later work with Sting, XTC, Genesis, and Phil Collins. As soon as work began under Padgham, everything started to feel easier and more relaxed than expected.

For example, Machine Messiah was rehearsed and recorded in just one day. The next day, inspired by Trevor Horn, they began work on White Car. Does It Really Happen? was a track originally rejected by Yes during the Going for the One sessions, but it was a personal favorite of Alan White. Side two opens with the masterful version of Into the Lens. Run Through the Light was one of the songs from the Squire and White era, but reworked in the studio?especially by Howe. Finally, Tempus Fugit was a song that originated in 1979 from a kind of Squire-Howe-White project.

Yes also worked on additional material during the recording sessions, though much of it remained incomplete. This included "We Can Fly from Here" and "Go Through This," which were later performed during the 1980 tour and eventually released on the live compilation The Word Is Live. "We Can Fly from Here" was later expanded into a 20-minute suite on Yes's 2011 studio album Fly from Here. A third track, "Crossfire," was also later released on another compilation.

The album's sleeve was designed by Roger Dean his first artwork for a Yes album since Relayer in 1974. When Dean was commissioned for the project, he already knew the album's title and approached the design with what he described as "an intuitive approach" to match the tone and spirit of the music. The title Drama was not chosen at random. It reflected the turbulent period the band went through before and during the making of the album the internal tensions, lineup changes, financial struggles, and the emotional weight of trying to rebuild Yes without Jon Anderson. It was, quite literally, a drama both musically and personally.

And yet, despite the odds, Drama stands as one of the most unique and underrated records in the Yes discography. It may lack the spiritual voice of Anderson, but it compensates with a renewed energy, tighter arrangements, and a bold fusion of progressive complexity with new wave flair. Horn and Downes brought fresh textures, and the core of Squire, White, and Howe delivered powerful performances. Songs like Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit are now considered essential by many fans.

Over time, the album has gained respect, especially as listeners have re-evaluated it without the burden of its original context. It marked both an end and a new beginning?an experimental chapter that captured a band in transformation. Drama may have started in crisis, but it emerged as a reinvention.

— First review of this album —

The cover photo here reflects GRIMM's newish urban sophistication at the time, having come off the excellent "Parplar" release a few years prior, and inspires some fear that she may have gone abjectly mainstream. Luckily, "Soul Retrieval" is but an extension of its predecessor's aspirations. The ensemble now includes the legendary TONY VISCONTI which can't hurt. The opening number and the wonderful "Without a Body.." (perhaps her best song to this point) do flirt with pop, but an off kilter version nonetheless, epitomized by the latter's fanciful whistle-like synths. "Be a Great Burglar" is the third highlight with its haunting and eerily familiar tune and approach. Unfortunately the rest lacks the consistency, exceptionality and variety of "Parplar", ranging from the buzzkill blues of "The Road is Paved with Blues" to the decent but lightly uninspired "Flash and Thunder Came to Earth", so this isn't quite the album that might lead to Grimm's ascension, even if you might be singing along in spots.

The infectious popularity of Alain Mion's first CORTEX album obviously called for a follow up. The problem was in keeping his original band mates interested (and, I suppose, paid). Aside from drummer Alain Gandolfi (who, with Mion, would remain the core-constant throughout the Cortex career), an entire cast of newcomers has had to have been recruited in order to record an publish (and tour) with Alain's new songs.

A1. "Devil's Dance" (2:30) a great upbeat, piano & guitar-based Disco tune to open the album. Nice! New bassist Nicolas Mirkov and guitarist Philippe Vautin prove their worth from the opening minute. Even though it's short, it could easily (and happily) have been extended as a long jam (with perhaps some saxes or more solo work from Alain or Nicolas). (9.3333/10)

A2. "Funk Around The Punk" (3:18) definitely funk with the whole band--bass, drums, keys, and rhythm guitar--all participating in the wholeness of a 70s funk song. Guitarist Philippe Vautrin does some pretty cool things with his guitar: partly rhythmic, partly lead (small chords and both plucked and strummed strings). Alain Mion is active on several keyboard tracks indicating multiple over dubs. No horns or winds (that I can detect) on this one. Cute and peppy--very much like a BOB JAMES song. (8.875/10)

A3. "Hurluberlu" (5:10) two chord blues-based funk-rock/R&B with a rolling bass line and driving drum beat so that Alain and Philippe can play around on top. Nice, interesting work from Philippe's fuzzy-flanged lead guitar over this awesome cruisin' song. Excellent work from bassist Nicolas Mirkov (who, by the way, is the sole composer credited for this song) as well as from drummer Gandolfi. (9/10)

A4. "Soul" (2:50) three-chord keyboard entry leads into a funky Disco song with cool clavinet, rhythm guitar, and K.C. & The Sunshine Band "Get Down Tonight" lead guitar work, plus saxophone solos in the second half. Actually a pretty cool and creative song! (9/10)

A5. "Datura" (2:30) bass and guitar provide the most important inputs on this song. Though it has two motifs, it is another song that feels simple, one-dimensional, like a warm-up song or étude/practice/audition tune. One of the few songs not totally credited to Alain Mion, the guitar work of Philippe Vautrin is purely rhythm guitar but co-composer Nicolas Mirkov's bass (and sax) are plenty funky. (4.625/5)

B1. "Poxa" (3:25) this one sounds sappy enough to be a cover--like something that would likely end up as elevator music--but when the female background singers enter and start their "la-la-la-la-las" it kind of eliminates it from elevator heaven and renders it more of a soundtrack to some low-budget film. It's not bad--the musicians' performances are all fine--it's just a bit hokey. (8.75/10)

B2. "Mister J." (3:36) funky and perky little composition by drummer Alain Gandolfi that sounds like an American advertizing song. Female background vocalists enter in the second minute intermittently injecting the word some word that sounds perhaps more like "raina" than "régina." (8.875/10)

B3. "Régina" (5:00) the lone composition of guitarist Philippe Vautrin opens with guitar setting the chord progression, key, and pace. Funky bass, straightforward drums, keys, and clavinet "horns" plus real horns join in (the real horns gaining more traction the further into the song we go). (8.875/10)

B4. "Efficace Swing" (2:58) a nice little flute-led dittie that feels unfinished, more like an étude or practice song that never received the attention needed to finish it. Why is there no credit given to the flutist? (8.875/10)

B5. "Oh. Lord" (6:20) I love the etheric female vocalese singing like an angel over the church-like Hammond organ chords throughout the first half of this song. The little Hammond flurries in-between the two rounds of Alice Prévost's vocals is a little corny, but overall it's very cool. And then it ends. There is a rather long pause as if there is a whole new song starting, but I do recognize the same chords/key in the opening Fender Rhodes display. And then the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar-like chord play of Alain's left hand join in and provide a lovely funk-lite love song. (9.5/10)

Total Time: 37:52

The overall impression I have of this album is that it is a collection of interesting and fun ideas that the two Alains and their band mates were using for practice/workout sessions, most of which never really got fully developed or "polished." There are plenty of nice melodies and pleasant funk-lite grooves throughout, just nothing as amazing as the first album.

A-/five stars; though I really would not consider this a true masterpiece of top tier Jazz-Rock Fusion, the album is filled with brilliant, sometimes innovative ideas, excellent performances by all musicians involved and some great earworm- like ditties and hooks--and, of course, a core of silky-smooth funk! I sure miss the dreamy voice of Mireille Dalbray!

As fate would have it, the members of Deep Purple's famous Mark II, immersed and scattered in different projects (Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover with Rainbow, Jon Lord with Whitesnake, Ian Gillan with his solo project and the failed attempt of 'Born Again' with Black Sabbath, and Ian Paice with Gary Moore's band), agreed that it was time to iron out their differences and give a second life to the band's most emblematic line-up. And what seemed impossible happened eleven years after 1973's "Who Do We Think We Are", the last joint work, with the release of "Perfect Strangers" (1984), the Englishmen's eleventh album.

A proposal that, although it no longer has the power and carefree nature of musicians with more than a decade of experience behind them, follows a balanced and well-balanced line, in which two of the singles that supported its release stand out: the intriguing and lascivious "Knocking At Your Back Door" with the tense introductory atmosphere that Lord creates with his Hammonds, and the thick and mysterious half-time of the orientalised "Perfect Strangers" and its nods to Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'; and the melancholic power ballad "Wasted Sunsets" with Blackmore's hurtful guitar solo and Gillan's best vocal performance on the album.

The rest of the songs, oriented towards an agile hard rock adapted to the demands of the convulsive and changing decade of the eighties, maintain a very good level, in which the sound base built from Glover's bass and Paice's spirited drums full of cymbals sustain the riffs and guitar solos that Blackmore intersperses with Lord's arresting keyboard playing on the lively "Under the Gun", "Nobody's Home", "Mean Streak" and "A Gypsy's Kiss".

Finally, "Hungry Daze", with its dancing riffs of Arabic airs and an experimental sci-fi interlude, provides the differentiating touch to an album as unexpected as it was celebrated, which reached fifth place in the UK and seventeenth in the US charts and revived Deep Purple's career.

P.S. The remastered 1999 version includes "Not Responsible" and Blackmore's very interesting and extended experimental jam "Son of Alerik" (B-side of the single 'Perfect Strangers'), which is well worth a listen.

3.5/4 stars

Breathless us the sixth studio album released by Camel. This album was released in 1978 and is considered by a lot of people to be less progressive than some of their previous albums (Moonmadness, Mirage, etc.) but it still is a solid album in my opinion. Andrew Latimer is a fantastic guitarist and composer, and you can hear his brilliance all over the album.

I also really enjoyed all the songs that Richard Sinclair sang on and his bass work on some of the tracks especially "Echoes" and "The Sleeper" are beautiful. "Breathless" the title track is great. I really like the mellowness of the whole album. "Echoes" by far is my favorite song on the album and a great prog song. "Wing and a Prayer" is a solid pop sounding song. "Down on the Farm" is a fun whimsical track as well and I also really enjoyed the last song on the album "Rainbows End". The lyrics invoke a sense of sadness but like a happy sadness. The synthesizer on this track is what I love the most. It's warm and I love the overall tone and vibe of this song. It makes you feel like you are floating on a cloud and with no worries or stress.

Overall, I enjoyed the album. If you want a nice mix of some mellow songs with some complex prog elements you will enjoy the album. Even the more pop sounding songs are fun to listen to. Camel is a great band, and I think everything they do is great. They are passionate musicians who know how to write great songs no matter the style or complexity. I would give this album 3/5 stars. If you are a fan of Camel, I think you should listen to and own this album. If you are just getting into Camel or not really a fan, I would say this album is not essential to listen to or to own.

After participating in the Sarajevo festival "Vas slager sezone 79", Indexi soon had another festival appearance. At the beginning of May 1979, they went to Belgrade where they played at "Beogradsko prolece 79", which was only their third appearance at this festival. For this occasion, they collaborated again with Aleksandar Korac, performing his composition "310 poljubaca" (310 Kisses). Soon after, they released a new single record for Jugoton (the master disc was cut on May 9th), which, in addition to the festival hit, would also feature the lesser-known track "Bilo je lijepo" (It Was Beautiful). This was Indexi's twenty-third 7" record in total, or the tenth issued on Jugoton label. The single's cover shows the band in the lineup: Djordje Kisic, Nenad Jurin, Slobodan A. Kovacevic, Davorin Popovic, and Fadil Redzic, and the photograph is actually just a version of the same picture taken by Dragan S. Stefanovic (uncredited on the single's cover) that appeared on the inner sleeve of the album "Modra rijeka" (Blue River) a year earlier.

Indexi's previous collaboration with Korac had not always yielded the best results. Besides several commercially successful tracks (e.g., "Predaj se srce" - Surrender Your Heart), Korac was also the author of some of, in my humble opinion, the weakest compositions in Indexi's oeuvre (e.g., "Stani malo zlato moje" - Wait a Little, My Dear). However, it seems that this time things fell into place, and we got an excellent composition, which was also a big hit. Behind the not very promising title "310 poljubaca" lies a track with a very interesting and complex arrangement and instrumental details. The opening sequence with an atmospheric synthesizer, acoustic guitar, and a powerful bass solo (which is why Redzic was often called a four-string soloist) brings something of the atmosphere of progressive rock bands Yes or Camel. The verses introduce a somewhat lighter melodic pop expression with Popovic's standard quality vocals and Kovacevic's exceptional flamenco-style acoustic guitar playing. The chorus is in a somewhat more expressive danceable quasi-disco rhythm, with funky electric guitar riffs and discreet electronic drum effects. A couple more solo passages on the acoustic and bass guitars bring the track back to the main theme from the verses. This excellent composition, which we could conditionally label as "progressive schlager", was recorded, according to data from the RTV Sarajevo phonotheque, on May 6, 1979.

The flipside of the single features the song "Bilo je lijepo", whose complete author is Redzic. There is no data from the master tape in the Sarajevo phonotheque, so it can be assumed that it was probably recorded in a Jugoton studio in Zagreb. This track is also instrumentally rich and unfolds at a somewhat slower soft rock tempo. The performance alternates between acoustic and electric guitar (the latter occasionally treated with somewhat psychedelic flageolets and pedal effects), synthesizer, piano, and organ, while the tambourine stands out among the percussion. It is a very interesting and pleasant song, which for some reason did not catch on and remained lesser known.

All in all, this is one of Indexi's best singles from the second half of the seventies. The hit "310 poljubaca" reached the top 10 chart of domestic singles of "Politikin zabavnik" youth magazine for June 1979, and was also frequently played on Radio Sarajevo programs.

PA rating: 3/5, Personal rating: 4/5

One of the forgotten gems of the vast Italian progressive scene of the 1970s.

The Salis brothers, Antonio and Francesco, from Santa Giusta, Oristano (Sardinia), began their musical career in the early 1960s under the name Barrittas. They released several singles throughout that decade. With the help of their older cousin, Lucio, who produced them, they changed their name to Salis'n'Salis in 1969. By the time their first album was released, they were simply Salis.

Their debut, Sa vida ita est (1971), is a charming blend of 1960s-inspired pop and psychedelia, with subtle hints of progressive rock. It's a good album, but sadly it went unnoticed and didn't receive the attention it deserved.

By this time, the band had moved to northern Italy, near Cremona, in Lombardy. Their lineup also changed, with the addition of two musicians from Brescia: Pier Paderni and Paolo Gerardini. Both had played in JB Club, a group that once included Mauro Pagani. They replaced Mariano Tunerini and Nino Scalas, who had decided to return to Sardinia. This version of the band lasted until 1972. Briefly, in 1973, back in Sardinia, the lineup included bassist Pino Martini and drummer Salvatore Garau, who would later become the rhythm section of Stormy Six.

In 1974, a second album was released. This was more of a solo album by Antonio Salis than a complete band effort.

One of the first quadraphonic albums released in Italy, it was released on EMI's CiPiTi label and was later reissued by La Strega, a small label run by Lucio, who also wrote the lyrics for all of their songs. Musically, the album leans more toward pop/progressive than their debut and shares some similarities with another Sardinian band, Gruppo 2001. Antonio was accompanied by his brother Francesco, guitarist Gianni Serra, keyboardist Dario Baldan Bembo, and drummers Andy Suray and Furio Bozzetti.

Five years later, a new version of Salis returned with a revamped lineup and released Dopo il buio la luce, their third album. This is a completely different record: more focused, more progressive, and mostly instrumental. It's a keyboard-driven record that shows a completely different side of the band's potential.

The album is cleaner than the band's previous albums. The instruments flow and blend into a solid sound, guided by beautiful guitar and keyboard arpeggios. Dopo il buio la luce reminds me a bit of Arti e Mestieri and their 1974 album, Tilt, but with a more melancholic tone.

Dopo il buio la luce is another hidden gem of the great Italian progressive scene. Can you imagine? I've been listening to Italian progressive for almost 40 years and I'd never heard of this band. There are so many, and most of them are incredible. Nowadays, getting a physical copy of the album is almost impossible, but luckily there are digital versions so you can enjoy this wonderful record.

I wonder why I like this class album so much. Maybe it's because all the tracks sound like 1 track as a whole, like a concept album. Or because it's simply a lovely progressive effort: very cleverly structured, elegant "Canterbury", performed in a loose, groovy manner. Delicate vocals, perfectly timed guitar, swirling organ throughout and exactly there we have THE Caravan characteristic: the organ weaves it into a woolen hip(pie) sweater, worn on a moisturized early morning walk through an ancient British forest in midsummer...then, all of a sudden, you stumble upon 4 lads, not quite sure whether it's the '60 or the '70 they're living in. You are grasped by music reaching your ears and rolling along with David, Pye, Richard & Richard within the timeless Caravan capsule. They would then roll all the way to the Land of Grey and Pink.

4.0